"Long before she knew she was going to spend her career as an engineer at a family business that makes rowing machines, Judy Geer ’75 Th’83 was a standout in the early days of women’s rowing," writes VTDigger.

"Geer, who grew up in Connecticut, was a swimmer who first started rowing at Smith College in Massachusetts back when it was new there.

"'It was proper rowing for young ladies,' said Geer, who later qualified for the Olympics three times. 'We weren’t allowed to carry the boats.'

"Geer transferred to Dartmouth just after Title IX passed in 1972. By requiring all federally funded institutions to provide the same athletic opportunities for female athletes as for males, the law brought huge changes for women athletes. Dartmouth had just started a women’s rowing program.

"Geer went on to compete as part of a four-person boat in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, coming in sixth. It was the first Olympics to feature women’s rowing. She qualified to row in the 1980 Olympics in the Soviet Union, but was prevented from going by the U.S. boycott; she later rowed a double scull in the 1984 Olympics, again coming in sixth. Also in those years, she earned a master’s degree in engineering from Dartmouth.

"Meanwhile, Olympic rower Dick Dreissigacker had founded Concept2 with his brother Peter in 1976."...